QUINCY, ILL.—Volicon’s Observer video
monitoring logging system has been part
of broadcast operations at Quincy Newspapers
Inc. since 2007 when we installed our
first systems to provide spot and content
verification at several of our television stations.
It provides round-the-clock recording
and monitoring of all off-air content, and has
been instrumental in our efforts to maintain
quality of service and compliance.

Since our implementation, we’ve
watched as Volicon continued enriching
the Observer system with new features and
capabilities, and in 2012, we upgraded and
extended the deployment of Observer systems
across all 12 of our stations.

Today we use Observer to record the entire
digital transport stream for each broadcast
channel. If issues arise, our staff can locate
the suspect content and quickly export
clips for analysis, as well as for compliance
and verification if necessary. Even more valuable
is the ability to use Observer-recorded
HD content throughout our operations. It’s
really revolutionized the way we work.

Anyone within the company can use the
system to ensure that a spot aired and aired
correctly. When breaking news occurs, we
pull clips from logged content for proof of
performance promotion spots. We also rely
on the Volicon for program review and talent
coaching. I’m able to use the system
to view one or more of our stations and
subchannels all at once. For example, I can
watch all of our NBC or CW stations side
by side. This flexibility in monitoring helps a
great deal in troubleshooting across the station
group.

CALM ACT COMPLIANCE

The Observer also adds a unique time
element to monitoring operations, and this
ability to display critical measurements
over time is what makes the system’s loudness
monitoring capabilities so powerful.
The CALM Act focuses on average loudness
over time, and the Observer captures and
displays that very data in a logical and easy-to-
understand manner.

The Volicon system provides momentary,
short-term, and integrated measurements,
with adjustable short-form (10, 15, 30, or 60
seconds) and long-form (days) time frames
that make it easy to compare an ad’s loudness
with surrounding content. Should the
need arise, we can respond quickly to loudness
complaints with an A/V affidavit incorporating
audio and video overlaid with
frame-accurate loudness measurements.

The integration of loudness capability
into our existing monitoring platform simplifies
the overall monitoring workflow and
eliminates the need for external loudness
monitoring systems. The instantaneous data
provided by a standalone system would be
almost meaningless when compared with
the rich combination of audio, video, and
loudness data—captured over time—supplied
by the Volicon Observer. It lets us to inspect
the data, identify a loudness peak and
determine when it occurred, and then view
the content itself to get a more complete
picture of the viewer’s experience. This loudness
monitoring feature is just one of many
tools and capabilities within the Observer
system that helps our stations maintain and
verify consistent broadcast quality while
providing better support for our advertisers.

Brady Dreasler is the corporate director
of engineering for the Quincy Newspapers
group of stations. He may be contacted atbdreasler@quincyinc.com.

For additional information, contact
Volicon at 781-221-7400 or visitwww.volicon.com.

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